NJTxtr—A Computer Program Based on LASER to Monitor

Asphalt Segregation
Geoffrey M. Rowe1; Jay N. Meegoda2; Andris Jumikis3; Mark J. Sharrock4;
Nishantha Bandara5; and Chamil H. Hettiarachchi6
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Abstract: Abstract: This paper describes the research funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to develop an automated
technology to monitor segregation during construction of hot-mix asphalt concrete pavements. A Laser-based system was used to measure
surface texture and to detect segregation. Two segregated test sections and a control test section were tested to evaluate the applicability
of Laser texture method to detect and quantify segregation. Laser texture data were gathered from all three sections. Ratios of texture in
segregated areas to that in nonsegregated areas were set as the basis for detection of different levels of segregation. By combining the level
of segregation and extent of segregation, an AREA index was developed to determine the acceptability of a pavement section. Based on
AREA index, pay adjustment factors were proposed to reduce the payment to account for loss of pavement life due to segregation. Further
remedial actions were proposed to correct segregated pavement sections with acceptable AREA index. Based on the above concepts,
Windows-based computer program NJTxtr was developed to detect and quantify segregation. This computer program uses the Laser-
equipment-collected pavement texture data and determines whether the pavement section is acceptable or unacceptable based on the level
of segregation within a pavement section, and provides bonus or penalties to the contractor. The paper describes a novel technology using
laser and associated software for construction quality control of asphalt concrete pavements. The proposed methodology was applied to
detect segregation in an interstate highway section in New Jersey, and this section was repaved based on visual observation and
recommendation from this study.
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2004)130:6(924)
CE Database subject headings: Construction management; Asphalt pavements; Concrete pavements; Computer programs; Asphalt
mixtures; New Jersey; State government.

Introduction adequately identifying this problem. Ideally, some type of longi-

Segregation may be defined as a lack of homogeneity of constitu-
ents in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) concrete pavements that acceler-
ates pavement distress. Asphalt cement, aggregates, additives, and
air voids are the constituents of HMA. Segregation produces re-
petitive patterns of nonuniformity; therefore, standard quality-
control/quality-assurance (QC/QA) procedures that randomly de-
fine sampling locations would have a low probability of
1
President, Abatech, Inc., 1274 Rt. 113, P.O. Box 356, Blooming
Glen, PA 18911.
2
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New
Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102.
3
Supervising Engineer, Pavement Management Unit, Pavement
Management Division, New Jersey Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Box
600, 1035 Parkway Ave., Trenton, NJ 08625.
4
Software Specialist, Abatech International Limited, Abatech House,
Bull Close Ln., Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2UL, UK.
5
Research Engineer, Abatech Inc., 1274 Rt. 113, P.O. Box 356,
Blooming Glen, PA 18911.
6
PhD Candidate, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New
Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102.
Note. Discussion open until May 1, 2005. Separate discussions must
be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by one
month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor.
The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible
publication on March 10, 2003; approved on January 12, 2004. This
paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Manage-
ment, Vol. 130, No. 6, December 1, 2004. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9364/
2004/6-924–934/$18.00.
tudinal pavement profile, using one or more nondestructive mea-
surements at selected transverse locations, can be identified. An
alternative methodology is needed to address random but local-
ized areas of nonuniformity. There are several traditional and
emerging methods of detecting and quantifying texture so that a
QC/QA program can be built into the design and construction of
HMA pavements. Among all these techniques, laser technology
seems to be quite capable of quantifying the surface texture and
hence the segregation of HMA pavements (Meegoda et al. 2002,
2003).
Surface Texture Measurements Using Laser
Segregation in asphalt materials can occur for a variety of rea-
sons. The manifestation on-site is an uneven distribution of ag-
gregate surface texture associated with uneven distribution of ag-
gregate, asphalt binder, and/or air voids. Over the past 20 years
the use of laser technology to define surface texture has been
gaining wide popularity. The basic concept of the measurement
system is illustrated in Fig. 1. The technology uses a rapidly puls-
ing semiconductor laser to produce an infrared light that is pro-
jected onto the pavement surface. The light is scattered off of the
surface and a receiving lens focuses this scattered light onto a
linear array of photodiodes. The diode receiving the most light
corresponds to the distance to the surface. Using mathematical
algorithms, the distance to the surface at a discrete point is ob-
tained. The measurements are conducted very rapidly as the laser-

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Fig. 1. Schematic representation of Selcom surface texture laser
[used with permission from LMI Technologies (2001)]
mounted vehicle drives along the pavement enabling measure-
ments at points that can be typically separated by 1 mm 共1 / 25 in.兲
defining a surface profile.
The assessment of texture with vehicle-mounted laser measur-
ing devices is well established, and a number of commercial de-
vices are available. Several manufacturers produce laser texture
equipment, which can be vehicle mounted. A few of them are
listed below:
• The Dynatest Road Surface Profiler (RSP), by Dynatest Den-
mark
• The Profilograph system, manufactured by Greenwood Engi-
neering, Denmark
• ARAN (automatic road analyzer), manufactured by Roadware
Group, Inc., Canada
• High-Speed Texture System, manufactured by WDM Limited,
U.K.
• Multi-Laser Profilers, manufactured by Australian Road Re-
search Board (ARRB)
• ROSAN (road surface analyzer), developed by Surfan Engi-
neering and Software, Inc., in cooperation with the Federal
Highway Administration
From the laser-based systems reviewed, the ROSAN appears to
be the most advanced with respect to algorithms developed to
determine segregation in asphalt, and it has the widest application
in this area to date (Stroup-Gardiner and Brown 2000). However,
the level of technology employed in the ARAN device is consid-
ered acceptable for the application of texture measurement. Con-
sequently, since New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ-
Fig. 2. Definition of mean texture depth (MTD) in the ARAN soft-
ware
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Fig. 3. Longitudinal paths for measurement for each lot
DOT) has this piece of equipment, the ARAN device was selected
as the field texture-measuring device and the development work
applied to the output from the laser sensors of the ARAN. How-
ever, the algorithms developed in this research could be applied to
the data collected from other laser texture-monitoring devices.
During the course of the literature review the research team
became aware that significant advances in laser technology for the
detection of segregation have recently been undertaken by the
National Center for Asphalt Technology and reported in National
Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 441
(Stroup-Gardiner and Brown 2000). In this work, a draft specifi-
cation for the detection of a laser-based method for detecting
segregation was developed in AASHTO (American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials) format. The re-
search conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology
(NJIT) research team used the above work as a starting point for
the development work presented in this paper. In addition, con-
siderable use has been made of the definitions given in ASTM
specification E1845-01: Standard Practice for Calculating Pave-
ment Macrotexture Mean Profile Depth (ASTM 2001).
Texture Measurement Using ARAN
The ARAN texture subsystem, i.e., Smart Texture (Huber 2000)
measures the macrotexture of the road at speeds up to 56 mph.
Segregated areas will generally have textures statistically coarser
than the texture in a nonsegregated area.
Data Manipulation in ARAN: All data, collected by the mea-
surement subsystem, is stored in the hard drive at regular station
intervals. A high-pass filter is used, with a base length of 50 mm
(ARAN Technical Reference Manual 1995). The 50 mm length
was found to be acceptable by ARAN to remove wavelengths that
are a result of truck-axle dynamics and fluctuations in pavement
profile, which are not attributable to texture. When each test line
was completed by the ARAN, two separate data files were created
Table 1. Typical Texture Depths for Different Hot-Mix Asphalt Surface
Courses
Texture depth
Surfacing material (mm)
Asphalt concrete (fine graded) 0.4–0.6
Asphalt concrete (coarse graded) 0.6–1.2
Open-graded friction course/SMA 1.5–3.5
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Fig. 4. Determination of mean profile depth (MPD) from a 100-mm base length

and stored in the computer. One data file consists of the raw
texture data (after passed through the high-pass filter), and the
other consists of texture summary data such as root mean square
(RMS) and mean texture depth (MTD) values.
The RMS value is calculated as follows:
based upon the ASTM specification E 965-96: Measuring Pave-
ment Macrotexture Depth Using a Volumetric Technique (ASTM
2001). This is more commonly referred to as the sand-patch
method. With the ARAN software, the above was estimated from
a numerical integration of the area under a 50 mm base length

冑
n
compared to a horizontal line developed from the highest value

兺
within that base length, as illustrated in Fig. 2.
共d2i 兲
i=1
RMS = 共1兲
n
Proposed Sequence of Data Collection
where di⫽valid 共ith兲 data point number, and n⫽number of valid
data points over measurement interval. The MTD calculation is For texture-measurement purposes, it was proposed that the pave-
ment section be divided into lots consisting of 1,000 ft of one lane
width. The texture was then measured with the ARAN longitudi-
nally along three test lines for each area considered. The width of
the test area should be consistent with a single pass of a paving
machine or a standard lane width, as defined by the State Mate-
rials Engineer. Each test line was performed at the centerline of a
strip representing one-third of the area to be considered (Fig. 3).

Development of Numerical Procedures

The amount of data produced by laser texture devices was very

large, and consequently manipulation by conventional spread-
sheet programs was difficult and awkward due to the file sizes.
This resulted in the project team developing a computer program,
NJTxtr, which could handle the numerical calculations (please
note that NJTxtr is available free of charge for the reader). This
program enables data to be rerun while changing analysis param-
eters to perform functions such as sensitivity analysis. The defi-
nitions used within this software were based upon ASTM
E1845-01 (ASTM 2001) with the unit of measurement for texture

Table 2. Categorization of Extent of Individual Segregated Areas

Fig. 5. Variation of (a) mean segment depth and (b) texture depth
ratios with base length
Segregation Longitudinal extent
class (mm)
1 艋200
2 200⬍ and 艋400
3 400⬍ and 艋800
4 800⬍ and 艋1600
5 ⬎1600

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 Table 3. Pay-Adjustment Factors
Range of AREA index Pay-adjustment factor
0–5.0 105
5.0–15.0 95
15.0–25.0 85
25.0–35.0 65
35.0–45.0 25
as the “estimated texture depth” (ETD). NJTxtr uses ARAN-
collected texture data to determine the ETD. Concepts behind the
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numerical procedure and the definitions are briefly described in
the following sections.
Levels of Segregation
Stroup-Gardiner and Brown (2000) have used the ratio of ETD of
segregated areas to that of nonsegregated areas as the identifica-
tion parameter for different levels of segregation. In their work
the ratios of textures in segregated areas to those in nonsegregated
areas was used to detect and characterize segregation. The follow-
ing limiting ratios have been set based on their work.
• Low segregation: Shall have a texture ratio (TR) between 1.16
and 1.56. Generally, this should be consistent with air voids up
to 4%. When segregation is present, there will be one or more
sieves that are at least 5% coarser than the nonsegregated area,
with a corresponding decrease in asphalt content of between
0.3 and 0.75%.
• Medium segregation: Shall have a TR between 1.57 and 2.09.
Generally, this should be consistent with air voids between 3
and 6%. When segregation is present, there will be two or
more sieves that are at least 10% coarser than the nonsegre-
gated area, with a corresponding decrease in asphalt content of
between 0.075 and 1.3 percent.
• High segregation: Shall have TR of greater than 2.09. Gener-
ally, this should be consistent with air voids of more than 5%.
When segregation is present, there will be three or more sieves
that are at least 15% coarser than the nonsegregated area, with
a corresponding decrease in asphalt content of more than
1.2%.
Either an average texture in a nonsegregated area or a typical
texture depth for a particular hot-mix asphalt type is used to de-
termine an anticipated texture depth in the nonsegregated areas.
Then the above-average texture depth was used with the mea-
sured texture to compute the value of TR. Typical texture depths
for different HMA types are presented in Table 1.
The levels of segregation are defined by considering ratios of
ETD for nonsegregated areas to the segregated areas in the same
manner as discussed in the NCHRP report 441 (Stroup-Gardiner
and Brown 2000). To obtain the values of ETD for nonsegregated
areas, two methods can be considered:
1. The segregated and nonsegregated areas are identified during
the survey stage by traveling along the pavement section and
Table 4. Remedial Actions for Segregation
Extent of individual segregated area
(mm) Low
艋200 No action
200⬍ and 艋400 No action
400⬍ and 艋800 Localized patch
800⬍ and 艋1600 Localized patch
1600艋 Remove and replace
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marking the areas of the mat with acceptable texture. ARAN-
collected profile data for the marked nonsegregated areas are
used to determine the average texture depth. This value is
used to compute the texture ratios in the pavement sections.
2. The anticipated texture in a nonsegregated area can be esti-
mated using typical material information, including gradation
data.
Upper and lower texture ratio limits, defined previously, are used
to detect and estimate low, medium, and high levels of segrega-
tion. Texture ratios are calculated by dividing measured texture
depths using ARAN or by estimating ETD of nonsegregated ar-
eas.
Effect of Selection of Base Length
Base length is the length of the profile segments used in the
analysis of pavement texture. ASTM E1845-01 (ASTM 2001)
defined this as 100 mm. However, the use of this length restricts
the identification of a feature to multiples of 100 mm. Therefore,
a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the use of different
base lengths that would be outside the ASTM definition. The base
length is used within the software to determine the mean profile
depth, which is then used to calculate the ETD. A linear regres-
sion of the profile values in each segment is performed and the
regression line is subtracted from the profile values. This pro-
duces a segment profile with zero mean and slope. The maximum
value of profile is then determined for the two lengths, each cor-
responding to half of the selected base length. These two values
are averaged to obtain the mean segment depth. These values are
then averaged for various lengths of pavements to obtain the
mean profile depth (MPD). However, for the work considered in
this project it was necessary to define the texture for relatively
small intervals of pavement and, consequently, the MPD for each
segment was calculated, as illustrated in Fig. 4. In this case MPD
and ETD are then calculated as follows (Meegoda et al. 2002,
2003):
共y 1 + y 2兲
MPD = 共2兲
2
ETD = 0.2 + 0.8共MPD兲 共3兲
The selection of base length plays an important role in computing
mean segment depths and texture ratios. The effect of the selec-
tion of the base length is studied during the evaluation stage of
the NJTxtr software. This evaluation is performed using the test
data. Base lengths were varied from 25 to 200 mm and the mean
of the mean segment depths (MMSD) was computed for each test
line [Fig. 5(a)]. All three curves display similar variations of the
MMSD and the rate of change diminished with the increase of the
base length.
Fig. 5(b) shows the ratio of MMSD obtained at different base-
Level of segregation
Medium High
No action Localized patch
Localized patch Remove and replace
Localized patch Remove and replace
Remove and replace Remove and replace
Remove and replace Remove and replace
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Fig. 6. Flowchart of NJTxtr software
lengths to that obtained at 100 mm for all three lines tested. It can
be seen that a clear, unique relationship exists between the base
length and this ratio with r2 = 0.9953:
ratio共MMSDx/MMSD100兲 = 0.2652 ln共x兲 − 0.2318 共4兲
This ratio could be used to determine the effect of calculated
texture depths, if a need exists to move to a different base length
in order to define areas of measurement in multiples of 100 mm.
Area of Each Level of Segregation
The NJTxtr software calculated the mean segment depth (MSD)
using ARAN-measured texture data and estimated the number of
MSD values that fell within the limits for each level of segrega-
tion. After determining the level of segregation, the class of seg-
regation is determined using the proposed scheme that is pre-
sented in Table 2.
For pavement areas of continuous segregation, the level is
taken as that represented by the poorest-quality material (the
highest level) present in the area. The extent of each level of
segregation for each class in each lot is calculated as a percentage
in the following equation. The area of each class of segregation at
each level is computed by considering the segregated area extends
to the full one-third of the lane width.
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3 N
兺 兺 link
n=1 k=1 W
Ai = ⫻ ⫻ 100 共5兲
Atotal 3
where Ai⫽percentage area of segregation in each level (i⫽low,
medium, or high); l⫽length of a segregated area in meters;
W⫽width of the test area in meters; Atotal⫽total area of the lot in
square meters; n⫽considered one-third of test area (test line);
k⫽segregated area identification number; and N⫽total number of
segregated areas in each test line.
AREA Index for Lot Acceptance
When segregation is observed on a newly overlaid or recon-
structed pavement, NJDOT should have a tool to identify the
level of segregation and the effect of segregation on the pavement
life. Generally, extent and severity of segregation determines the
pavement life and its performance with time. When the segrega-
tion exceeds a certain level, it is recommended to reject the sec-
tion to overcome future high maintenance and rehabilitation costs.
The proposed methodology developed to determine acceptance/
rejection is discussed in this section. This involves the definition
of an AREA index that is related to both level and extent of
segregation.
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Fig. 7. Block-average of mean segment depth for 100 mm blocks of Control section of the Route I-195 data [(a) line #1; (b) line #2; and (c) line
#3]
An AREA index is defined to determine the overall effect of
different severity levels and extents on a given pavement section.
The percentage-segregated area of each level is multiplied by
weighing factors to determine this AREA index. Using weighing
factors, the AREA index for each pavement section is calculated
as follows:
AREA = Alow ⫻ Wlow + Amedium ⫻ Wmedium + Ahigh ⫻ Whigh 共6兲
where Alow⫽percentage area of low segregation;
Amedium⫽percentage area of medium segregation;
Ahigh⫽percentage area of high segregation; and Wlow , Wmedium,
and Whigh⫽weighing factors with numerical values 1.00, 1.42,
and 2.50, respectively, providing high weight to high segregation.
A threshold value is proposed for acceptance or nonacceptance
of a pavement lot based on AREA index. A pavement section is
accepted only if the AREA index falls below 45.0. If segregation
is present in a lot and accepted based on AREA index, appropriate
pay-adjustment factors should be assessed for different levels of
segregation as defined earlier. If the AREA index of any lot is
greater than 45.0, the lot should be rejected and the contractor is
required to reconstruct the section.
Pay-Adjustment Factors
The AREA index, as defined in the above section, identifies pave-
ment sections for acceptance or nonacceptance based on the level
and extent of segregation. If segregation is present in a pavement
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J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 2004, 130(6): 924-934
section and that section is accepted based on the AREA index,
then appropriate pay-adjustment factors should be used to account
for the loss of pavement life due to segregation. Loss of pavement
life due to segregation depends on the level and extent of segre-
gation present in a particular pavement section. Therefore, the
pay-adjustment factor should be defined based on the level and
extent of segregation. Since the AREA index accounts for both
level and extent of segregation, pay-adjustment factors can be
defined based on the AREA index. The pay-adjustment factors
shown in Table 3 were proposed for pavement sections with dif-
ferent segregation levels based on the AREA index.
However, if the segregation level and extent of a discrete area
is considered to be unacceptable, the engineer has the option to
inform the contractor to remove and replace or suggest different
remedial actions.
Remedial Actions for Segregation
Remedial actions for pavement segregation require NJDOT to
define various policy decisions. In this work a framework was
developed to implement the above. Possible actions are defined
for discrete pavement areas with different levels and extents of
segregation:
• When the choice is to remove the segregated areas, the segre-
gated area as well as 600 mm (2 ft) on all sides of these areas
should be removed and replaced.
• For pavement areas of continuous segregation, the remedial
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Fig. 8. Block-average of mean segment depth for 100 mm blocks of Test Section of the Route I-195 data [(a) line #1;(b) line #2; and (c) line 3]

action should represent the poorest-quality material (the high-
est level) present in the area.
In addition, to reduce pay, the engineer may require removal and
replacement of discrete areas based on the suggested remedial
actions (Table 4).
NJTxtr was developed based on the above concepts to detect
and monitor segregation based on ARAN laser-texture measure-
ments. It uses user-specified asphalt surface course information to
compute ETD. The values could be determined from analysis of
data on nonsegregated areas. ETD was used to compute TR to
differentiate different levels of segregation. Fig. 6 presents the
computation flowchart of NJTxtr.
Evaluation of NJTxtr
Representatives of the pavement management group at NJDOT
identified two field-test sites and a control test section. The con-
trol section was I-195 milepost (MP) 9.8-10.1 eastbound slow
lane, which was uniform pavement surface with no visible segre-
gation. The first test site was on I-195 MP 9.1-9.8 eastbound slow
lane, which also had segregated materials in the pavement sur-
face. The second test site was on Route 9 MP 111.5-112, north-
bound fast lane, which had segregated materials in the pavement
surface.

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Fig. 9. NJTxtr suggested treatments for 40–50 m of Route I-195

The NJTxtr software can be used to view the mean segment The NJTxtr can be used not only to visualize segregation on a
depth of each individual test line. Data from Routes 9 and I-195 particular pavement section, but also as a decision-making tool
were analyzed using NJTxtr software with the following specifi- for segregation monitoring. The user can specify base length,
cations: base length⫽100 mm; mean segment depth of the non- threshold values for different levels of segregation, threshold val-
segregated area⫽0.6 mm. ues for segregation class, and mean segment depth of the nonseg-
regated areas for analysis. The user has to specify three data sets
measured in three separate test lines on an individual pavement
Analysis of Data from Control Test Section
lot to determine the percentage areas of each level of segregation,
The control section selected was 152 m long. Color-coded plots the AREA index, the pay factor, as well as the individual treat-
were prepared from NJTxtr based on different severity levels ob- ments for each segregated areas. Route I-195 test section was also
served in the pavement section. It is evident from Fig. 7 that the analyzed using the NJTxtr and the suggested treatment for an
control section is free of segregation and it maintains a block example segment of Route I-195 (from 40 to 50m) is given in Fig.
average of mean segment depth of about 0.25 mm throughout the 9. The analysis performed for the Route I-195 data resulted in the
test section. summary presented in Table 5. The section of 0–304 m resulted in
a zero pay factor, and this section was repaved by NJDOT based
on visual observation and recommendation from this study.
Analysis of Route I-195 Data
The test section was approximately 457 m long. Color-coded
plots were prepared from NJTxtr based on different severity lev- Analysis of Route 9 Data
els observed in the pavement section. Fig. 8 presents the variation The calculated mean segment depths for Route 9 data were cat-
of block average of mean segment depth with distances for all test egorized in accordance with the severity level of segregation.
lines. It can be noted that no visible segregation patterns were Color-coded plots were prepared based on different severity lev-
detected. Therefore, the segregation in this test section could be a els observed in the pavement section. Fig. 10 presents the color-
result of other causes than the end of truck segregation. coded mean segment depth plot for test line 1 of the Route 9
profile data. Severity and extent of each segregated pavement area
can be easily identified using this plot. It can be noticed that
Table 5. Route I-195 Summary Results (based on Line 2 data) segregation has occurred in a uniform frequency over the entire
0–304 m 304–457 m
test section. The observed peaks in the plot appear to be related to
Parameter (0–1,000 ft) (1,000–1,500 ft) end-of-truck-load segregation.
The above plot represents approximately 457 m (1,500 ft) of
Percent of low segregation 17.72 31.27
Percent of medium segregation 1.48 6.50
profile measurements on Route 9. In order to verify the end-of-
Percent of high segregation 24.11 0.33 truck-load segregation, a close-up examination is required.
Total segregation percent 43.31 38.11 NJTxtr can be used to view the segregation data more closely to
AREA index 80.11 41.40 analyze each segregated area. Fig. 11 presents the segregation
Pay factor 0.00 25.00
data from approximately 100 to 200 m of Route 9 data, which

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Fig. 10. Block-average of mean segment depth for 100 mm blocks of test line 1 of the Route 9 data

clearly demonstrates end-of-truck-load segregation. Using the
zoomed view of NJTxtr user can identify the starting and end
points of each level of segregation and severity of segregation.
The data from three test lines performed at Route 9 were ana-
lyzed using NJTxtr software. Fig. 12 presents the graphical rep-
resentation of treatments for the first 10 m of Route 9 and the
suggested treatments for each individual segregated area of the
pavement section. Darker areas correspond to the “Remove &
Replace” option and lighter areas correspond to the “Localized
Patch” treatment option. The suggested treatments should be used
with discretion. Each individual area can be combined with other
areas to apply more practical treatments. This aspect would re-
quire some policy decisions by NJDOT to fully implement in the
software. The analysis performed for the Route 9 data resulted in
the summary presented in Table 6.
Although the segregation could be captured using the Laser

Fig. 11. Zoomed mean segment depth (MSD) plot for test line 1 of the Route 9 data

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Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati on 06/08/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Fig. 12. NJTxtr suggested treatments for 0–10 m of Route 9

technology, there are some inherent limitations. First, it can quan- tance. Pavement lots are to be accepted only if the AREA index is
tify the surface segregation. Also, theoretically method could only less than 45.0.
predict the segregation along lines where the measurements were If segregation occurs in a pavement section accepted based on
made. Though attaching several lasers to the measuring vehicle an AREA index, pay-adjustment factors are defined to determine
can increase accuracy, the cost associated with that option might the reduction of payment to account for loss of pavement life due
reduce the feasibility and the general use of the technology. to segregation. Further remedial actions are defined to correct
segregation in pavement sections with an acceptable AREA index.
A computer program, NJTxtr, to detect and monitor segrega-
Summary and Conclusions tion was developed by combining the above concepts. This uses
the ARAN-collected pavement-texture data and determines
Ratios of texture in segregated areas to that in nonsegregated whether the pavement section is acceptable or unacceptable based
areas were set on the basis of detection and monitoring of differ- on the level of segregation present within the pavement section. If
ent levels of segregation. The work conducted by the National the pavement section is acceptable, the software determines the
Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) and reported in NCHRP pay-adjustment factor to be used if segregation is present and it
441 (Stroup-Gardiner and Brown 2000) was used as the basis for suggests remedial actions for each segregated area. NJTxtr was
much of the development work on this project. Texture ratios less evaluated using the data collected from one control and two seg-
than 1.15 indicate no segregation, between 1.16 and 1.56 are as- regated test sections, and satisfactory results were obtained.
sociated with low level of segregation, and between 1.57 and 2.09
are associated with medium-level segregation. Ratios above 2.09
indicate high levels of segregation. These ratios were defined Acknowledgments
based on NCHRP Report 441 (Stroup-Gardiner and Brown 2000),
published by the Transportation Research Board. This research was sponsored by a research contract from the New
By combining level of segregation and the extent of each level Jersey Department of Transportation Project 2000-34, titled “Cor-
of segregation, an AREA index was developed to determine the relation of Surface Texture, Segregation, and Measurement of Air
acceptance or nonacceptance of a pavement section. This index is Voids.” Although NJDOT funded the research described in this
useful for NJDOT to monitor newly laid pavements for accep- paper, it has not been subjected to an NJDOT review process for
the technical content, quality assurance/quality control, or admin-
istrative review. The writers wish to acknowledge the efforts of
the NJDOT project manager, Anthony Chmiel. The assistance
Table 6. Route 9 Summary Results from Kurt Huber and Paul Harbin, of Roadware Group, Inc.,
0–304 m 304–457 m Canada, and Nicholas Gephart of NJDOT is highly appreciated.
Parameter (0–1,000 ft) (1,000–1,500 ft)
Percent of low segregation 12.74 6.31
Percent of medium segregation 4.92 3.55 Bibliography
Percent of high segregation 5.82 8.78
Total segregation percent 23.48 18.64 “ARAN (automatic road analyzer).” (2001). Roadware Group,
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Pay factor 65.00 65.00
2000).

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